master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,624
Fort Worth, Texas
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Quote:
this will be a long thread................ 
 It has been the previous 10+ times it was discussed... have a look at one of them:
https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=Test&Number=6207593
From that thread, my opinion on the various methods:
Quote:
Media blasting has lots of options, and even more opinions... Here are mine, based on two months research that I did three years ago. Altogether I visited six blasters, talked to about another half-dozen or so on the phone, and spent maybe 40 hours total on the Internet... mostly finding & reading technical articles that compared the advantages & dis-advantages of each type.
My conclusions of the most common types used on car bodies:
1) Sand - Highly effective and cheapest by far, but most dangerous to the car, and now the EPA is cracking down on it as a health hazard also... most really cheap quotes ($500-$600) are based on using this method. Using it extensively has a high risk of warping exterior sheetmetal, especially large relatively unsupported panels like roof skins, hood skins, etc.
2) Coal Slag - "Black Beauty" or similar abrasive, like sand, great on removing rust, but with the surface changes it can cause to the sheetmetal primer & paint adhesion can be reduced, causing problems done the road. Also, like sand, it will remove any and all factory coatings.
3) Soda - A very popular option with car restorers at this time. Not as effective on surface rust, but very effective on most other materials (paint, filler, etc). Some concerns about fully flushing out the residue after blasting, with 3-5 high pressure flushes being recommended. Still, some concerns that trapped residue where panel seams are could cause paint problems later... maybe the Moparts member that does soda blasting knows more how to insure there is not a problem. This is normally the moderate priced option, maybe $900-$1200 per body.
4) Plastic - The least effective on surface rust, but very safe to the sheetmetal. Fairly slow stripping, so the most expensive. I paid $2000 three years ago, it would probably cost $2200-$2500 now in most areas of the country. Where the surface rust was left intact, spot touch-ups with very light sand blasting was used. On frames and stiffened panels like floorboards, the sand blasting is relatively safe.
IMO, if a car body does not have extensive surface rust, plastic media is the way to go. My second choice would be soda blasting, but it would have to be followed by extensive flushing & inspection to ensure elimination of any residue.
Just my  on the subject... use or ignore as you wish.
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